Washing machine



Dec. 26, 1939. G. WILLIAMS El AL WASHING MACHINE Filed Sept. '7, 1957 Fig.1.

as if! a Z- Inventors George A. Williams; Howard Br'ecKnocK,

a. (7%! l fw e iy Attorn e y.

Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES WASHING MACHINE George A. Williams, Rugby, and Howard Brecknock, Long Eaton, England, assignors to General Electric Company,- a corporation of New York ApplicationSeptember 7, 1937, Serial No. 162,796 In Great Britain September 18, 1936 2 Claims.

This present invention is concerned, with improvements in or relating to washing machines and is particularly concerned with washing machines of the type having a power driven oscillating gyrator or agitator.

With suchmachines the agitator is positively driven, the agitator moving through a large angle and then the driving mechanism is stopped suddenly and immediately reversed to drive the agitator back through the same large angle. When however the tub is loaded with articles to be cleansed and contains the necessary water or other cleansing fluid it is found that objectionable noises are created. These noises while not impairing the efficiency of the machine are nevertheless not desirable for reasons well understood. We have discovered that such noises are mainly caused by the natural tendency for the water and the washing load to surge onwards when the agitator is suddenly stopped and then reversed since any running tolerances which of necessity have to be allowed between moving parts are sud-' denly taken up, thus causing the'parts to chatter. In spite of extreme care in the machining of the parts to ensure very correct dimensions, these troublesome noises are not avoided.

It is accordingly one of the several objects of the present invention to provide a washing machine with means whereby troublesome noise during oscillation of the agitator is wholly or substantially wholly eliminated.

A further object is to provide friction damping means for the agitator which means only becomes effective during movement of the agitator thereby not increasing the load on a driving motor when it is first started up or not overloading the motor during wringing operations.

As will become apparent from the detailed.

description which follows, the invention provides a friction damping device-on the shaft carrying the agitator of a washing machine whereby the effect of agitator over-run is restrained at the point of its commencement before it can affect other moving parts.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a detailed sectional view of a washing machine agitutor and associated parts; Fig. 2 is a view sim ilar to Fig. 1 showing an alternative arrangement of some of the parts, and Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the agitator driving mechanism.

Referring to Fig. 1, a casing I encloses the bottom portion of a vertical shaft 3, the upper portion of said shaft being connected by means (not shown) to a metal sleeve 5 upon which an agitator 1 consisting of a series of blades is mounted. The agitator is oscillated in a tub 9 by means of a suitable oscillating mechanism, for example, an eccentric, a connecting rod and a suitable oscillating gear segment, or a crank and a reciprocating rack. Such oscillating 5 mechanism, are well known in the art and are therefore not shown. The mechanism is diagrammatically shown in Fig. 3 wherein the rotation of an eccentric 36 causes reciprocation of a connecting rod 31 connected to a gear segment 38 pivoted at 39. The gear segment meshes with a pinion ll bushed with a sleeve l3 loosely surroundingv the shaft 3 and 'is arranged to be moved axially relatively to the shaft by means of a clutch lever l 5. The clutch lever is actuated by 15 suitable means (not shown). Formed integrally with the pinion II is a series of clutch teeth H which when the pinion is moved vertically upwardly engage a second set of clutch teeth l9 formed on a sleeve member 2| pinned to the shaft 3. A number of spiral springs 23 housed in a hub 25 of the framework of the washing machine are confined between a shoulder on the hub and a metal washer 21. *In order to locate the springs, the washer may have locating pins 29 for the springs. The metal washer is adapted to bear against, or has fixed to its under surface, a friction disc 3| which is urged by the springs to seat upon an outstanding shoulder on the sleeve member? 2|. The purpose of the metal washer is to even out the pressure of the springs upon the friction disc 3| and it will be realized that although this is highly desirable it is by no means an essential part of the invention.

In Fig. 2 of the said drawing is shown an alter- 35 native arrangement in which instead of employing a series of springs 23 a single spring washer is used. As will be seen from an inspection of that figure a crimped spring washer 33 is confined between the shoulder on the hub' 25 and the friction disc 3|, it being spot welded at suitable. points to the metal washer 21 and in order to prevent rotational movement thereof it is secured to the shoulder onthe hub by screws 35.

In both forms of the invention described above a damping effect is applied by the friction disc upon the sleeve 2 I (and hence the shaft 3)" such that when the drive of the shaft is suddenly discontinued, the force applied to the agitator by the surging of the water and the washing load tending to move the agitator in the same direction as it was being driven, is counteracted and. no movement of the agitator can occur. Moreover, since the friction is. applied to the agitator and the agitator is normally unclutche d when starting up, the driving motor is not overloaded thereby when it is started up. Also, during wringing operations no overload is occasioned since the damping device will not be operative.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a washing machine, an agitator shaft, a vaned agitator mounted thereon, a driving connection between the shaft and agitator, mechanism for oscillating the shaft, and friction means acting on the shaft offering frictional resistance to the oscillation of the shaft of suflicient magnitude to prevent overtravel of the shaft relative to the oscillating mechanism under the surging of the liquid and clothes against the agitator.

2. In a washing machine, an agitator shaft, a vaned agitator mounted thereon, a driving connection between the shaft and agitator, oscillatory driving mechanism,'a clutch collar nonrotatably fixed on said shaft, a cooperating clutch member oscillated by said mechanism, and a friction member bearing on said collar offering frictional resistance to the oscillation of the shaft of suflicient magnitude to prevent overtravel of the shaft relative to the oscillating mechanism under the surging of the liquid and clothes against the agitator.

GEORGE A. WILLIAMS. HOWARD BRECKNOCK. 

